


The Gay Volleyball Players Get One Shots

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (Maybe) Angst, (Maybe) Smut, Alternate Universes in some chapters, Cute, Fluff, Future AU, Hogwarts AU, I love these dorks, M/M, May include tokyo ghoul au, gay volleyball, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:40:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7226539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a bunch of cute ideas I have for the couples like KageHina and DaiSuga. I've been wanting to do this for awhile and since I just made my account on Archiveofourown I decided why the hell not? I hope you enjoy these one shots of your favorite gay volleyball players. I'm open to suggestions about scenarios, AU's, and pairings. Perhaps all three! Enjoy!!!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Set It. You Sometimes Spike It. (KageHina)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading my book of gay volleyball player one shots! I certainly hope you enjoy them as I enjoy writing them! :)

Hinata made it his job. No. His mission to hit every toss delivered by none other than Kageyama.

The two had practiced and practiced and practiced their attack. Day after day after day. Hit after hit after hit. Hinata hit every single one. It didn't matter which way Kageyama tossed. Right, left, or even above his head surprisingly. Hinata would hit the tosses until his hand hurt and everyone but Kageyama had left. It didn't matter what time. Early practice with the team, during evening practice or even afterwards. 

The joy and confidence the duo felt when they got a kill during their practice matches was overwhelming. No matter how many times it happened, it never dulled. Never dimmed as the two did it more and more. 

A loud smack of a ball hitting in the middle of the court echoed throughout the gymnasium. 

Hinata landed on the floor of the court on both of his feet with a wide smile on his face. The small middle blocker looked up from the wood of the court to meet Kageyama's eyes. The setter smirked slightly. 

"Nice kill, Hinata."

If it was even possible, Hinata's grin grew wider. He felt joy and confidence rush through his veins as it always had before. The praise- however small- that Kageyama had given him, made him even happier. Seeing as Kageyama was not the type to give him compliments or praise often unless he was in a good mood. The small first year panted and stood up strait. His eyes were bright with adrenaline and confidence as he looked at his red palm before looking back to the raven haired setter.

"One more Kageyama!" He pleaded. 

His voice bounced off the walls of the empty gym. The two had stayed after practice to get even more practice on the quick that the two used oh-so-often for a game the next day.

Kageyama glanced at the clock above the metal sliding door of the gym. Almost 8:00.

The setter scrunched his nose. His forehead was slick with sweat from the concentration and effort he was putting into his tosses.

"Dumbass Hinata. I'm gonna be late for dinner at this rate." Kageyama said in annoyance as he huffed. 

A pout appeared on the gingers face. He was disappointed to say in the least, but he had no right to complain. After all, the two still had to clean up the net and the volleyballs. Hinata would be surprised if he got home by 9:00 seeing as he lived in the mountains and was required to ride his bike home as always. 

So he merely smiled at the setter once again and hummed in agreement. "I guess we do need to get some sleep for tomorrows game!" He said brightly. He knew he probably wouldn't be able to sleep due to his nerves that usually kept him up when they had a match coming up. Although he knew Kageyama would need his sleep for the game and didn't want to keep him from that.

Kageyama raised his eyebrows in surprise. Hinata was usually more persistent when it came to practicing their quick. Although suspicious of Hinata's behavior, he nodded towards all the balls that had been spiked across the court. "Then let's clean up here." Kageyama said as the squeak of his shoes moving to the balls on the gym floor echoed throughout the room.

Hinata nodded and followed the serious looking setter, ducking under the net to get to the other side of the gym. He moved to the volleyballs scattered across the floor as Kageyama did the same. 

One by one, the balls were put into the basket and around 10 minutes later, the two were done. 

It took another 5 minutes to change into their regular clothes. Kageyama would be lying if he said he hadn't snuck a peak or two of the gingers slender body. Knowing he probably wouldn't get caught. He hadn't and was secretly relieved as he walked along the road with Hinata who was walking his bike alongside him. 

The night was quiet and the two were caught in a comfortable silence. Looking up at the stars, Hinata wondered unrealistically what it would be like to hit a set all the way from up there. The ginger smiled slightly to himself as he thought about it for a bit.

Meanwhile, Kageyama was thinking about the game that was to occur the next day. He also thought a bit about Hinata. He had slowly developed a crush on the decoy. Going from thinking Hinata was annoying, to slightly less annoying, to annoying but tolerable, to annoying but cute, to annoying but attractive in many aspects. Kageyama however, didn't know how to address his problem -If that's what it was. He was absolute shit at feelings and all the two usually talked about was volleyball. 

He soon dismissed the thoughts as they came upon the point in which the two were to separate. Kageyama looked to the ginger who slowly got onto his bike. 

"Hey, Hinata."

Hinata looked to Kageyama who cleared his throat and looked to the ground as his cheeks began to grow warm.

"... Sleep well.." He said quietly.

It took a moment for Hinata to process the words but as soon as he did, he grinned brightly at Kageyama.

"You too Kageyama! Don't worry! We'll win for sure tomorrow!" Hinata said confidently. 

A smirk appeared on the taller 1st years face. "We'd better. Now go home, dumbass." He said in his own affectionate way.

Without another word, the two set their sights on their destined routs home and wasted no time in hurrying home.

_____________

The tension in the air was thick and heavy. The score was 24/24 of the 3rd set. It was the other teams serve now.

'One more' Hinata thought, biting his lip.

The server went for an underhand serve, making it to were it was an easy receive for Tanaka to hit just over the net. One of the wing spikers spiked it over the net where Nishinoya stopped it from hitting the floor. it was up in the air and Tanaka passed it to Kageyama who easily and quickly tossed it to Hinata. Hinata hit the ball without fail.

However the other teams libero was familiar with their attack and dove to save the ball. It just barley hit his hand and was now in the air once more as free game for any of the other players on their team. A tall brunette was the one to receive, hitting it with his locked arms back over the net. At least one thing was apparent to both teams and reached out to the audience that had gathered for both teams. 

Neither Karasuno or the opposing team was giving up without a fight. 

For the players, everything was in slow motion. Nishinoya was able to see the ball hit Asahi's arms and once again, become directed to the raven haired setter. Kageyama was able to see the ball headed his way and was able to prepare. Tsukishima was able to prepare himself to receive the ball if it was blocked. Tanaka and Daichi were able to make the proper adjustments for anything that went wrong. The other team was unprepared for another quick. 

Unluckily for the Karasuno Crows...

Neither was Hinata Shouyou.

Hinata tried to get a grasp on what was happening. Everything was moving so fast that even him, with all of his stamina and speed, did not have time to adjust to the quick that was about to be made. The ball eased its way into Kageyama's hands as he propelled it forward towards the unprepared middle blocker. Hinata tried desperately to jump as he did in practice, he would have made it too, if he hadn't rolled his ankle and fallen to the floor. 

A small noise of the ball hitting the floor was heard. All the players were frozen. Every Karasuno supporter and team member was looking directly at Hinata. He could feel thousands of holes being burned into his back as he started at the floor with wide eyes. He'd failed. He'd failed his mission. He'd failed all of the Karasuno supporters. He'd failed his entire team with one miss. Never had he failed to receive one of Kageyama's tosses. Never had he missed the satisfying sting in his palm. Never had he let down Kageyama. 

Suddenly, a roar of victory arose from the other team and its supporters. Hinata felt tears sting his eyes and he wasn't the only one. Sugawara, Nishinoya, Asahi, Daichi, Tanaka, Yamaguchi, Ennoshita, and most importantly... Kageyama.

A sudden weight fell on Hinata's shoulders as he cried silently, not moving. He was on his hands and knees on the floor of the court. Kageyama stared at him. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. A mix of emotions flooded him. Anger that Hinata had caused them to lose. Sadness that they had lost. Sympathy that he knew what Hinata was feeling. 

The team was then called to get in a line. Every team member got in line... all except Hinata. 

Once again, they were called to get in a line and Kageyama looked back to Hinata. He felt his heart lurch in his chest as he saw the boy crying. Noya began walking towards him when Kageyama put his hand up to stop his short senpai and began to walk to Hinata instead. Noya reluctantly stopped and watched Kageyama move closer to Hinata and crouch at his side. Noya got back into the line. 

Kageyama grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and hoisted him up. Hinata didn't resist as Kageyama gently pulled him towards the line in progress. One of Kageyama's hands moved down and interlocked their hands. Hinata looked at him with surprise and tears in his eyes. Kageyama ignored it as they all bowed and yelled thank you to the audience. 

_________

Once the team had gotten back on the bus, a thick and heavy silence filled the room, with the exception of Tsukishima talking to Yamaguchi quietly and the bus itself. Hinata avoided all eye contact with Kageyama and every other member of the team. He simply looked out the window as Kageyama looked at him. 

Kageyama thought it best not to talk, knowing Hinata probably needed some space. But being the idiot Kageyama is, he put his hand on Hinata's shoulder. 

"Hinata..." He murmured. The least he could do is make sure Hinata was okay.

Tensing, Hinata bit his lip and kept staring at the window, not saying a word.

The setter leaned closer to him. "Hinata... don't blame yourself..." he instructed in a soft and quiet voice.

Hinata shook his head, finally laying his eyes on the handsome setter beside him. His voice cracked as he spoke for the first time in around 2 hours. "But... I've never missed a quick before Kageyama.... It IS my fault... I couldn't keep up for once..." his voice sunk deeper into a whisper as he went on. His eyes were red and puffy with tears. 

Shaking his head slowly, Kageyama sighed. "It wasn't. I should've made sure you were ready..." he trailed off, knowing that talking to Hinata would be difficult with how tired he was. Once again, he sighed softly and wrapped his arm around Hinata. Pulling Hinata to lean on him.

Pulling back weakly in surprise, Hinata looked up at Kageyama. "What're you-"

"Get some rest. You need it, dumbass." The raven haired setter replied with a bit of a blush on his face, hoping Hinata didn't notice.

Reluctantly, Hinata nodded and relaxed, resting his head in Kageyama's chest. Soon, Hinata's arms snaked around his waist to make himself more comfortable. Kageyama looked down at the middle blocker and rubbed his back to try and ease him into sleep. It eventually worked as Hinata was snoring away. It didn't take long for Kageyama to realize how tired he was. All the volleyball, crying, and warming up had left him more tired then he cared to realize until that point. Soon, he nodded off along with the fiery haired decoy.

________

After an hour, the boys were heading home as they had just the day before. They soon came across where they were normally supposed to part ways. When Kageyama stopped, Hinata didn't question his reasoning. He merely looked at him with a drained look on his face. It was almost completely obvious that Hinata would not have enough energy to make it back to his home up in the mountains. At least not before it got pretty late. 

They looked at each other for a minute before Kageyama sighed. "You look exhausted. Do you wanna stay over and get some rest?" He asked.

Hinata's eyes widened slightly. He didn't expect this. Especially not when he had just caused the entire team to lose a game. He protested some. "N-no... I don't want to impose.." He said quietly, looking down at the road. 

Shaking his head, Kageyama decided he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Dumbass Hinata. Just accept so you don't end up getting home at 12:00." He said a bit gruffly. 

Biting his lip and squeezing the handles of his bike. He sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Okay..." He muttered. He walked his bike towards Kageyama. 

The taller male lead the decoy to his house and after making a left turn and going strait for a little while, they were on Kageyama's doorstep by 7:00. 

Opening the door for Hinata, Kageyama watched as Hinata entered the house. The ginger was slouching slightly and his hands were stuffed into his pockets. Kageyama had made sure that Hinata had texted his mom before arrival so she knew where he was going to be. Closing the door behind him, Kageyama followed inside and took off his shoes just as Hinata had just seconds before. 

"Apologies for the intrusion." He whispered quietly as he stood up strait. Looking around, Hinata seemed to be taking in the details of the house. 

Wrinkling his nose, Kageyama huffed as he stood taller than Hinata. "It's not an intrusion if you were invited." He pointed out. He nodded towards a hallway. "C'mon. You're taking the bed tonight." He said, walking into the hallway to his door which was the first door on the left.

Upon hearing this, Hinata followed but protested with a bit more power than before. "No way! I can't do that! It's your bed!" He protested against Kageyama's iron will. 

Like an iron wall, Kageyama stood firm on his decision and entered the room. It was fairly neat with volleyball posters on the wall and a queen sized bed in the corner of the room. "Oh shut up dumbass. A bed is a bed. I'll take the floor." He said. 

Hinata wouldn't seem to back down either, following Kageyama into his room he shook his head. "You're not gonna take the floor! That'll mess up your back Bakageyama!"

That seemed to irk Kageyama some, but not enough. "I said shut up and take the bed dumbass!" he growled. 

Hinata clenched his fists. "I can't take it Kageyama! Not after.." He trailed off for a moment. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Not after I caused us to lose." he finished, looking down at the carpeted floor of Kageyama's room. 

Kageyama tried to find a solution to their problem. He sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to him so Hinata could sit down. Hinata looked at the spot for a moment before walking towards him and sitting down next to him. Hinata's hands folded in his lap as he looked at them. 

Suddenly a hand grasped Hinata's shoulder. "Hinata... You may think it's your fault... but I've seen you complete that quick over 100 times. Sometimes in one night." Hinata looked at him with big sad eyes that would make Kageyama want to melt at times. But this time was different. "We all make mistakes. You just happened to make one at the wrong time." he said.

The smaller one felt his eyes burn with tears. "I still caused-" he was cut off by Kageyama who was getting annoyed with Hinata blaming himself. 

"I don't care! It doesn't change the way I feel about you!" he burst. Annoyance showed through. 

Freezing up, Hinata looked at him. "And... how do you feel about me Kageyama?" He asked, looking back down as soon as they made eye contact.

A huff escaped the setters lips as he faintly blushed. He wasn't sure how Hinata would react but he knew however the ginger would react wouldn't be completely horrible like rejecting his entire existence. "Look Hinata... I like you... Like, like like you." He mumbled just barley audible for Hinata. His voice raised to a more hearable level. "And weather you spike one of my tosses or miss completely once or twice doesn't mean I'm gonna like you any less. Or the rest of the team for that matter. So stop being a dumbass and just be happy that that's one of the only tosses of mine you've ever missed." he said, finishing it off. 

Hinata just stared at him in shock. He too liked Kageyama. For awhile now in fact. The way he would tell him he made a nice kill after spiking one of his tosses was amazing enough to him as it was, but this made his stomach and heart do flips inside of him. He flushed a deep red and glanced away before glancing back at him several times. "I- I like you too Kageyama... " he murmured.

Kageyama's outward expression didn't show it, but he was pretty surprised. Granted, he had never actually known if Hinata was strait or gay or what since all they ever actually talked about was volleyball related. On the outside, he smiled slightly. Not the creepy 'I'm-totally-gonna-kill-you' smile but a really nice one that made Hinata want to stare at him all day. Not that he didn't already want to but it made him want to even more.

"Good... Hinata you should get some sleep." He said, changing the subject.

Hinata thought for a moment about the bed situation when a thought came to mind. He became a bit shyish. "Um... Kageyama?"

"Yeah Hinata."

He shifted nervously on the bed. "... If I take the bed... will you sleep next to me?" He asked.

The response from Kageyama was delayed for a moment but he eventually nodded. "Yeah... I think I will." He said. 

Becoming very excited, Hinata smiled brightly like Kageyama had secretly wished him to do and crawled under the covers quickly. He seemed happy and excited. When he was settled, he waited for Kageyama to get into bed with him. Kageyama rolled his eyes and eventually crawled into bed next to him but not before peeling off his black volleyball jacket. and tossing it to the floor.

When Kageyama sort of kept his distance and didn't exactly know what they were doing, Hinata took matters into his own hands and wrapped his arms around Kageyama's middle as he buried his face into Kageyama's chest. A small smile lingered on both of the teenagers faces as Kageyama kissed Hinata's forehead.''

"Goodnight dumbass."

__________

*A few months later*

Kageyama ran out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. His hand covered his neck as he looked at Hinata. "WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY HICKEYS SHOUYOU????" He cried out. Hinata only smiled sheepishy. 

"Have fun trying to hide those.."

"HINATA!!!"


	2. The Black Panther and The Lazy Kitten (Part 1: Hello again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kuroo buys a tattoo shop called The Black Panther across the street from a coffee shop called The Lazy Kitten, he decides to pay the owner, Kozume Kenma a visit. (KuroKen Future!AU)

Artistic. This was one of the few ways to describe Kuroo. Although, most people were not fond of his work there were also many who enjoyed his work and would sometimes come back for more. 

Kuroo was a tattoo artist. It was a bit of a strange profession for him to the people he knew in high school as they never recalled him to be the artistic type. He had been consumed with the sport of volleyball on the high school team for all three years. However, he would always draw detailed and beautiful images on his arms and assignments. There was no doubt that Kuroo had talent. 

For awhile, Kuroo had gone to college playing on his schools volleyball team. But not having the same team members didn't feel right to him. Especially since he didn't have the seemingly disinterested pudding head named Kozume Kenma at his side. 

He had tried to keep contact with him, going to some of their games at the beginning of the season and texting him every once and awhile. But no matter how hard he tried, there was no doubt that Kuroo had gotten buried in textbook payments and tuition. This caused him to get a part time job at a cafe which took up all of his free time. Whenever the black haired boy was off work, he was doing homework. Whenever he didn't have work or homework, he was savoring what little time he had to sleep. Between his required classes, art classes, and volleyball practice, he had no time but would still manage to shoot Kenma a text or two before falling asleep. 

In the beginning of the year, he lost all contact with Kenma. He had dropped volleyball. Kenma stopped texting him back. 

Kuroo began to change the way he appeared. His black hair grew out a bit and he had gotten a few tattoos. He had even gotten his ears pierced. Before he had started college, he had never thought he would change his appearance. But, since Kenma stopped texting him, he decided he needed some more permanent things in his life. 

Unlike his childhood best friend and long time crush. The tattoos would never abandon the surface of his skin and the piercings would only come out if he wanted them to. 

It hurt Kuroo. He wanted to be with his childhood friend and long time crush once again. His mind would occasionally wander to Kenma. What was he doing? Was he still sucked into those video games? These were the questions that would float through his mind frequently. But after 5 years, the thoughts occurred the thoughts came less and less. Before the boy knew it, he was graduating art school. 

Thanks to the part time job, Kuroo was able to buy an apartment down by his old high school. It was in a pretty nice area. The air was fresh and green lush trees surrounded the area. 

It was a beautiful day, the sky was clear, save a few clouds. Kuroo had to squint as he closed the door to his apartment behind him. His apartment had been fairly dark, seeing as the light from outside was just enough for him to be able to perform his morning ritual that included getting changed, making eggs, brushing his teeth, and mussing up his hair. He let out a loud yawn as he turned around to lock his door. 

As he turned back to the road in front of his apartment, Kuroo spotted a familiar slick silver car that could only belong to one person. A grin appeared on Kuroo's face as the car parked just in front of his apartment. The tall black haired tattooist shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well lookie what we have here." He said in an amused tone. 

Not two seconds later, the car door opened. The first think Kuroo caught sight of was spiked black and white hair that was oh so memorable. The figure closed the door so Kuroo was able to get a better look. A pair of dark sunglasses rested on the bridge of the males nose as he grinned back at Kuroo. 

It was none other than Kuroo's best friend, Bokuto Koutaro.

"Hey, hey, hey! Kuroo it's been too long!" He said excitedly as he reached up to take off his sun glasses while his other hand closed the door to the silver door. As the glasses came off, a pair of light brown eyes that so greatly resembled an owls came into view. 

Kuroo walked towards him and hummed. "Way too long. When was the last time I saw you again? Like a year ago?" He asked as he stopped just in front of him. A smirk began to replace the grin he had been sporting.

As if they had mentally signaled each other, they pulled each other into a tight hug. Kuroo actually hadn't seen anyone he had known from school while he was in college. At least not every day like he had been used to. Back in high school, Kuroo would go to hang out with Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kenma. They would usually walk around town or practice volleyball. Kuroo looked back on the memory of Kenma sitting out of their games and playing his own hand-held game. It made his heart sink, knowing that Kenma probably didn't stick around town when he went to college. But how would Kuroo know anything about Kenma now? They had been disconnected from each other for a little under 5 years. 

Bokuto and Kuroo soon pulled back from their embrace. Kuroo ran a hand through his hair and a huff of air left his lips. 

"So fresh out of college and you've already got your own tattoo parlor? I'm proud of you Kuroo!" He said loudly and fondly. Kuroo and Bokuto had been texting over the last week and exchanging information about their past year and how crazy everything had been. The finals were grueling, Kuroo had like, 2 jobs, and on top of it all, Kuroo had been talking about how he always thought Kenma would be there at his graduation. 

It seemed that life had been turning the tables on Kuroo's life for a few years now. 

The former Nekoma player shrugged his shoulders. "The place was cheap and I already had everything I needed. It wasn't all that hard." He dismissed the compliment. He saw that Bokuto was about to start talking again when he cut him off. "So anyway, do you think you could give me a ride? Y'know. Unless you've already made plans with Akaashi~" He said in a teasing tone. 

Bokuto and Akaashi had been dating for around three months now when Bokuto had finally realized his oh-so-obvious feelings for the former vice captain of his volleyball team. 

The owl like man flushed and grinned. "No! I can give you a ride! Akaashi and I don't have to go on our date till..." He pulled his phone out of the pocket of his blue sweater. "An hour from now. But you're gonna gave to walk home." He said, slipping the phone back in his pocket and looking back to Kuroo as if to make sure that was okay with him.

The former Nekoma captain sniggered. "I can walk. I'm not that much of a cock block, Bokuto." He said with a smirk. 

Bokuto flushed an even deeper shade of red and his jaw fell slack. "Oy! Are you implying something bro?" he asked.

"Oh hoh hoh? What if I am?"

"... Well you wouldn't be wrong." 

A hum vibrated from deep within the raven haired boys chest and he turned, passing the front of the car, then walking to the passengers side door. He opened it with his trademark smirk on his face. "I can walk home. Don't worry about it bro." He informed him once again.

Bokuto opened the drivers side door and slipped inside of the silver car without a problem. Kuroo opened the passenger door and slid inside as well. They closed their doors in sync and they both buckled their seat belts. Kuroo wasn't sure when Bokuto actually got his license because he sure as hell didn't have one in high school. However, the large male had no complaints what so ever. 

Bokuto started the car with a purr from the engine. In no time at all, the two boys were listening to very loud music and yelling the lyrics out of key. Kuroo felt a strange feeling of satisfaction while the two continued their tone def singing. But throughout that feeling, another feeling blossomed. Emptiness. There was something missing from the picture and Kuroo knew all too well what that missing thing was. 

Kozume Kenma. 

Kuroo tried to ignore the feeling like he had been throughout the years of lost communication. He wanted so badly to know how Kenma was doing. 

'... Maybe I should ask Bokuto..' He thought before quickly shaking that thought away. Bokuto wouldn't know. Him and Kenma weren't very close. Kuroo convinced himself throughout the trip that Bokuto wouldn't know anything about his childhood friend and distracted himself with the lyrics. It wouldn't be long until they got to the newly set up tattoo parlor.

_________

After Kuroo and Bokuto parted ways, Kuroo hummed and walked up to the clear glass doors of his shop. The thought of the parlor actually belonging to him sent a chill down his spine. He was in control of something and he wouldn't let it slip though his fingers like Kenma. He collected all of his confidence and unlocked the door for the first time since he set it up. The opening of the door triggered a bell to ring. Kuroo smiled at the light sound. He closed the door behind him and shrugged off the red jacket he had carried with confidence all throughout high school.

"Let's get this shit done." He said to himself as he looked at all the reference pictures on the walls. 

The large man got to work to get things ready. He uncovered the two black reclined chairs and put the seat covers in the back room. The entrance to the back room was a black door that stood behind the desk that held items like temporary tattoos and pepper spray. 

Finally, when everything was done and he had cleaned all of his equipment and finished his little set up, he walked to the door and bit his lip. His stomach churned. His nerves were eating away at him. He was about to become an official owner of his very own tattoo parlor. Hell, even if it hadn't been a tattoo parlor, he still would have been nervous. He looked at the open/closed sign that currently showed closed to the outside world. 

Soon, he overcame his nerves and stepped forward. His hand felt the cool plastic of the sign as he turned it so it showed OPEN to the outside world. He pulled out his phone and snapped a quick selfie of him and his cocky smirk. He quickly put it on his Twitter page. The nerves had now turned to excitement. 

The caption on the picture read, 'The Black Panther is now open for business!!'.

~~~~~~~~

A bored sigh left the black haired boys lips as he stared up at his ceiling. His small frame clearly was not enough to fill the bed. He contemplated just pulling out his hand held game right then and there instead of going out to fulfill his responsibilities as the manager of a cafe. After staring at the ceiling for a bit longer with his large, yellow, cat-like eyes, he decided he needed the money to pay the rent for his somewhat small apartment. 

Sitting up, he took note of how long his hair had gotten. It had been awhile since he'd gotten it done. It was almost all black now, save for the blonde tips of his hair. 

He yawned and stood up. His large blue shirt hung off of one shoulder as he walked towards his closet to get his work uniform. The uniform was a white dress shirt, a black tie, black pants, and his name tag. Slowly he slipped off the blue shirt. But once it caught his eye, he froze. Another sign escaped him slightly parted lips. 

He'd gone and worn it to bed. Again.

What was the point of trying to forget someone if you always kept their things around? Kenma wasn't sure why he still carried the shirt with him. Was it because it held great memories? Maybe. Was it because somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to remember? Or maybe it was that he couldn't let go of the one person he had been ignoring for at least 4 years? It was most likely all of them. 

After Kuroo had left, things became different. From setting a ball in a match to walking home, nothing was the same. And he HATED it. He wanted Kuroo to come back. He missed him. So much. But he couldn't stand how far away his former captain and friend was. It made his heart ache. Although, for the sake of his friend, he did not voice his problems with his college agenda. 

Soon, it was time for Kenma to graduate. It had been a year since Kuroo had left and Kenma had registered for the same school Kuroo had been going to. Kenma was actually itching with excitement. He wanted- no- craved to be at Kuroo's side once more. To have things be as they were. When his letter of acceptance came in the mail, Kenma had barley been able to hide his joy. There was nothing that could have made him more happy than being at the larger males side once more. 

However, when Kenma had left for college, he had already known Kuroo's dorm number. This was a day that he knew Kuroo would be lazing around in his dorm or doing homework or something. Whatever Kuroo did when Kuroo had free time. But, when the bleached blonde had knocked on the door, he was answered by none other than Kuroo's room mate. 

Kenma's eyes glanced past his room mate for any sign of the former captain. He looked up at the roommate. "Hey Bora... is Kuroo in?" He asked. He had become familiar with Kuroo's roommate when he visited last time. 

Bora stared at him and cocked his head to the side a bit in confusion. "You mean... he didn't tell you?" He asked.

Kenma found out the truth behind Kuroo's absence. He had moved to Tokyo to attend an art school. He hadn't spoken a word to Kenma about it. Kenma left the dorm with a quiet 'Thank you' and went back to his own dorm. 

The skinny former setter sat there on his bedside for what felt like hours, not touching his game. All he could concentrate on was that Kuroo- his long time best friend- his crush of years- had not told him anything about his moving schools. He had always made sure to tell Kenma everything before. Even things he didn't want to know. 

He couldn't even decide on how he felt. Was he angry that Kuroo hadn't told him? Was he sad that he hadn't seen Kuroo in so long? Was he happy that Kuroo had actually managed to get into an art school?

He was snapped out his thoughts when his phone let out a 'ding'. He looked down at his pocket and realized he had tears slipping down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away with one hand as the other reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Flipping it open, he came face to face with a text from Kuroo. 

'Hey Kitten! How you doing?'

It was in that moment that Kenma was finally able to settle on one emotion. 

Betrayal.

From that day forward, he didn't even bother to open or read another one of Kuroo's texts. He knew this tactic would probably hurt both of them, but Kenma was a stubborn boy. Once he had settled on a decision, he wouldn't go back on it. 

Not even after 5 years of missed texts. 

Kenma threw the shirt into the laundry basket in the corner of his room quickly and bit his lip. Knowing it wouldn't do any good to go back on a decision he had made long ago, he got dressed in his work uniform. After making himself a bowl of cereal and brushing his teeth, he packed his video game in a small bag that also held his lunch for the day and was soon ready to leave his apartment for work. 

The clear sky helped Kenma calm his emotions. There was a small breeze that cooled the hot summer air as he walked along the sidewalk towards his work which was next to his apartment complex. He stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the pedestrian symbol before walking across the street, directly to his work. As he opened the front door, he realized he had been late to work. 

A curse managed to slip out from under his breath. It wasn't often that he was late to work. Because he was the manager, he was usually required to be there to open up the cafe before everyone else. He gave a small nod to his coworkers who knew better than to randomly approach him and inform him of a mistake he was already aware he had made. They smiled back at the small man. He looked down and did what he usually did when he was late. He walked directly to his bosses office.

His boss was an elderly man. Always nice to everyone but was able to put his foot down when he needed to. His name was Mr. Seiko. He wore a white dress shirt, a pair of blue jeans and brown, polished shoes. Kenma had been so lucky to meet this man around 2 years ago. He had just finished college and had quit his job. He had also moved back his home town. He saw the Lazy Kitten Cafe and had decided to go and buy a coffee or two while he searched for jobs in the paper. He even considered working for Karasuno's coach, Ukai for a short period. 

From the moment Kenma entered the cafe, he could feel the warm atmosphere. The pleasant hum in the air and the smell of coffee beans was what drew him there for the second time. Eventually he began coming there more and more until eventually, while enjoying a black coffee with a few sugars added and playing his hand held video game, the old man sat down in front of him. The two talked for quite some time, eventually getting Kenma to set down his game. Around twenty minutes after that, Kenma was offered a job, in which he accepted. 

Now, Mr. Seiko hummed. "Kozume, you're late." he pointed out with a hum.

A sigh passed Kenma's lips for the fourth time that day and he nodded. "Apologies Mr. Seiko." He murmured. His tone was flat but apologetic. 

Mr. Seiko stretched and he yawned slightly. "Oh don't worry about it Kozume, I actually have a special assignment for you today!" The old mans tone was rather joyful as always but something seemed to add a small spark to it. 

Kenma tilted his head in curiosity. "A special assignment?" He questioned. This was not something usual for the manager of the Lazy Kitten Cafe. 

The older man nodded his head and looked out the window of his office. He pointed to the building that had been for sale not long ago. Kenma was surprised to see the 'FOR SALE' sign gone from the window. Soon Mr. Seiko's voice caused Kenma to look at him. "A nice young man bought the building across the street. Apparently it's now a tattoo parlor." He said, he waited for Kenma's sign of full attention before continuing. "I bought some flowers for him as a sign of welcome from the Lazy Kitten Cafe. If you wouldn't mind... I'd like it very much if you could represent us and give him the flowers." He said, gesturing to some blue orchids.

Kenma tilted his head a bit. "I can do that." He said simply. He didn't see any harm in it.

A wide grin spread over Mr. Seiko's face. "Thank you very much Kozume!" He said, opening a drawer and taking out an envelope. "Also! Give him this! They're some coupons to give him discounts if he ever comes by the cafe." he said. 

Kenma nodded and took the envelope. He also picked up the beautiful orchids, watching them in wonder. He couldn't help thinking that such beautiful flowers as these wouldn't belong in a tattoo parlor. But he ignored the thought and looked at Mr. Seiko. "I'll be back in a bit..." He said quietly as he left the office with the flowers and envelope. 

The boss watched Kenma leave with a small smile on his face. 

~~~~~~~~

Soon, Kenma was at the door of the tattoo parlor. He was hesitant at first but he convinced himself that there was nothing to be afraid of as he pushed the door open with his shoulder. As his eyes met the walls of the parlor, he could tell that this was a parlor that was unlike the others he had at least seen. Most of the reference pictures were of spotted black, orange and white cats. Kenma eventually closed the door behind him and looked at the reference pictures. Most of them were of animals. A crow. An owl. There were actually a few with volleyball and other things as well. 

Kenma almost felt as if he were standing in an art gallery as he looked up at all of them. This parlor had a very welcoming sense to it. It smelled fresh. It felt so clean.

It was the sound of a door closing behind him that made Kenma jump. He turned around to see a tall figure with long, dark, mussed up hair arranging some of the items in the shelf. The figure had his back turned to Kenma. 

A small chuckle came from the figure. "Well well well. It seems you're the lucky one to be the first to stumble into this parlor!" He said, his voice deep and familiar to Kenma. However, Kenma couldn't quite put his finger on the voice that belonged to the owner of the parlor.

Kenma gave the parlor another glance over and relaxed. He noticed a tattoo on the taller mans upper arm. He could barley make out the word 'Kitten'. He hummed and walked up to the counter. "I work at the cafe next door.... I came to welcome you." He said flatly. 

Kuroo hummed and placed some things inside of a box. "Well that's nice of you..." He said, a warm tone in his voice. 

Something nagged Kenma in the back of his mind that he knew this person. He could actually feel himself getting excited. He slowly walked towards the desk and set down the orchid. He leaned against the counter and looked at the stranger and tilted his head to the side as a cat would do. "So... what made you decide to open up a tattoo parlor?" He asked curiously.

Kuroo slowly turned around, looking at something in hands. His hair blocked his face from Kenma. "Well... I felt like I needed something that would always stay with me. Someone I knew for a long time didn't exactly want to so...." he trailed off as he looked up and saw Kenma standing there. 

The two froze. Kenma felt his throat tighten, his heart clench and his stomach flip. Kuroo was so... different than before. His hair was so much longer and he had a lip piercing. Kuroo felt as if he were going to be sick right then and there. He didn't know what to do. He felt as if this was another dream. though he knew it wasn't. 

The silence was broken when Kuroo dropped whatever he had been holding in his hands. "Kenma?" he asked in shock, almost as if trying to get Kenma to confirm that it was in fact him. 

Kenma hadn't counted on this. He hadn't counted on seeing his former friend running a tattoo parlor next to his work. He hadn't counted on the emotional flood of pent up sadness and rage to break a metaphorical dam in his mind. 

Kuroo looked down in an effort to hide himself from his friend. "It's... It's been awhile."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Cliffhanger. But I am making a part two and maybe even a part three to this KuroKen drabble! Also, thanks for reading this far, it means a lot!


	3. The Black Panther and The Lazy Kitten (Part 2: Faking it.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting face to face with Kenma Kozume, Kuroo isn't sure how to talk to him like he used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy my little stories so far!!!! They're certainly fun to write.

There was a tense silence after the words left Kuroo's mouth. Both boys weren't sure what to do or how to handle anything. They wanted- no needed answers. But what exactly do you do when those answers you need are from someone you haven't spoken to in over 4 years?

Kenma's normally monotone expression was replaced by one that Kuroo couldn't make out. Was it fear? How would he know? The two were practically inseparable since they were kids. Back then, he could always tell what Kenma was thinking. But what about now? Had he really fallen so out of sync with the now black haired manager? 

The notion scared Kuroo. Almost as much as seeing the person he had so longed to see for 5 years. He knew that he would never had made peace with the fact that things probably wouldn't be the same. Hell, Kenma had ignored him for 4 years. 

He used to know Kenma better than anyone. He used to be the one to tell if Kenma was sad or angry or happy when no one else could. In those moments, Kuroo would also be the one to comfort him, the one to calm him if only slightly, to be happy along with him. What were they now? Strangers is a word most would use. 

Millions of thoughts raced through his mind all at once. Was Kenma happy without him around? What had Kenma been doing these past years? Were people nice to him? Did Kenma want him gone from the picture like he had been? 

All while this was happening in Kuroo's mind, Kenma was having a similar experience. 

He didn't know what was running through his veins. Bitterness? Anger? Betrayal? Happiness? Fear? He didn't understand. Although he knew where it was all coming from. The anger that he was all too stubborn to text Kuroo back. Happiness that he had someone he cared about within his grasp. Fear that Kuroo was angry at him, though he had every right to be so and Kenma knew it all too well. But the bitterness and betrayal trumped all of those emotions. Kenma had let himself be excited that day 4 years ago but Kuroo hadn't bothered to tell him where he was. That bitterness had done nothing but make him unhappy but he couldn't let it go. No matter how childish the grudge was. 

The persons touch and affection that Kenma had longed for, was just out of reach because of that. With his emotions unable to let themselves loose, they stayed bottled up and all he could do was swallow a rather large lump in his throat. His large yellow cat-like eyes were trained on a crow picture right next to Kuroo's arm. Kenma had not grown at all since high school so the picture was about eye height with him. He stayed silent for a long while before the silence was broken by a large sigh from Kenma.

"Yeah... it has..." He said quietly. His small hands gripped the glass counter.

Kuroo wanted to burst into questions about the 4 years that had passed and about why Kenma had stopped replying. But he kept quiet, having a look of shock on his face.

Kenma looked around at the drawings on the walls. "You seem to be doing well. I never thought you would've gotten into the tattoo business." The cat-like boy said. His hands moved to the pockets of his jeans.

The taller man didn't know how exactly the response came out, but it did. It wasn't something he was proud of. "Yeah well, a lot can change in four years." He said. The reply came out a bit harsh and even made Kenma wince some. He wasn't used to Kuroo's anger, even if it was slight. Kuroo bit his lip. "Um.. sorry..." He said.

A small huff came from the smaller man as his cat-like eyes flickered to the ground. "Whatever. It's not like I wasn't expecting it." And it was true. He had expected Kuroo's anger to be aimed towards him if and when they saw each other again. But to be honest, he didn't expect much restraint. Especially since it had been four years. For a moment he wondered if Kuroo had tried to text him even now. He wouldn't know since he had gotten a new phone around the two year mark and Kuroo had still been texting then.

Kuroo fixed his jaw. The shock had left his face and was now replaced by a look of restraint. They both did. Kuroo longed to just take Kenma in his arms and hug him to death. He also wanted to yell and ask questions. Kenma wanted the same more or less. 

"You work at The Lazy Kitten huh? Why do I get the feeling that describes you a little too well?" The tattooed man asked. It was meant to have a humorous tone to maybe break the ice a little. In a way it kind of did. 

A small hum came from the smaller boy. "I guess it does." He murmured. He lifted his head to look at Kuroo to see that he had small tears forming in his eyes. Suddenly he felt a twinge of guilt. Why hadn't he tried to talk to Kuroo instead of ignoring him? Kenma had caused Kuroo pain he shouldn't need to feel even if he had kept something from him. He bit the inside of his cheek. "Kinda like how you named your shop The Black Panther." He said. His face held a neutral but pained expression. Most people wouldn't be able to see it but Kuroo could. Somewhere deep down, their bond had been buried. 

But it hadn't been destroyed.

Not yet.

Kuroo wouldn't let it.

He wouldn't let go of Kenma so easily.

"I missed you Kenma. So much." He said, his voice breaking at the end of his first sentence. He realized that the tears were forming in his eyes but he quickly wiped them away with his left arm. He bit his lip and looked away from Kenma, not knowing what to expect as an answer. 

Kenma's guilt only grew as he let out a shaky breath and said, "I guess I did too." He said quietly. 

Kuroo looked at him in surprise, not knowing how he should answer. He fought off more tears. 

Speaking again, Kenma awkwardly said, "I have to get back to work." He knew he had been gone for too long. It had been roughly around thirty minutes and his boss definitely wouldn't be happy if he was gone for more than forty. 

After a few seconds of Kuroo staring, he nodded. "Yeah... of course. You should get going." He said. 

It took a minute for Kenma to start moving, but he turned around and began to walk to the door. He reached for the handle and began to pull it open far enough to where he heard the bell. But a voice was heard from behind him, the one of his old friend that just wouldn't let it be. Not after he had found Kenma Kozume. 

"Do you wanna catch up sometime?" He asked.

This made Kenma freeze. If he hadn't known any better, Kuroo would not have said that. Kuroo would have been angry with him and him angry at Kuroo. But things were different after the short 30 minutes he had spent in the tattoo parlor. Kenma felt guilty and wanted his only friend back and Kuroo... well, Kuroo happened to miss Kenma. 

The reply came a bit slow. But Kuroo was more than happy it came. "Yeah... I'll text you sometime." He said softly. After that, Kenma walked away from The Black Panther and across the parking lot towards The Lazy Kitten. One thing was sure in the small, ex-Nekoma setters mind. It was going to be a long day while he had this much on his mind.

Meanwhile, Kuroo had pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts, looking for someone to talk to. Someone who understood Kenma and him if only a little bit. Someone who he could go somewhere with and just get his mind off things. Soon he saw the name and quickly scrolled back up. His eyes landed back on the name of someone he could talk to. Someone he had talked to, if only a little bit in the past. Someone with an understanding of Kenma. Someone who was fun to be around. Someone just two years fresh out of high school.

Hinata Shouyou.

__________ 

Once Kenma had gotten back to work, he was quiet. It wasn't unusual but every now and then, one of his coworkers would catch him on his phone. Now, this also wasn't unusual but unlike the other times he had been caught, he wasn't playing some game. Instead, the boy was looking at one of his contacts with a hesitant look in his yellow eyes. The contact name wasn't able to be seen by the coworkers but they knew that something had probably happened when Kenma went to visit The Black Panther. 

In Kenma's eyes however, there was an internal struggle. Normally if he wanted to text someone he would have done it by now. No hassle. No staring at the contact name. It would have been simple. But, this was his long time crush and best friend that he had ignored for over four years now. The bitterness had been washed away by guilt, though not completely, it was enough to get himself to start talking with Kuroo again. Or at least attempt to. 

The battle taking place in his mind was more a battle of nerves. He was nervous and that was more than enough to stop him from texting right off the bat. 

Kenma had been dealing with social anxiety for awhile now. It was one of the reasons why he was so withdrawn from others. The only reason why he had been comfortable with Kuroo was because the man had pushed his way into Kenma's life at a young age. Kuroo just wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to being around Kenma. 

The memories of Kuroo dragging Kenma all over the place and even being the reason why he got into volleyball brought a very small smile to the young Kozume's lips. 

Though his nerves got the best of him and as he scanned Kuroo's name over and over again for probably the fiftieth time that day. A drawn out sigh left Kenma's lips as he pushed the power button of his phone, making the screen go black. He closed his eyes and slipped the phone back into his pocket. 

Opening his eyes and looking over to his right, he saw the heads of his coworkers peeking back at him. They froze and stared at him as he did the same. 

His lips curled into a small frown and his eyebrows knitted loosely. "What?" He asked.

The figures staring at him scrambled to get back to work quickly. Letting out yet another loud sigh, he got to work.

Meanwhile, Kuroo had been texting Hinata for a few hours now. 

He hadn't gotten any business so far which was expected since it was only his first day. It only mad it easier to talk to Hinata without interruption.

So far, they had only talked about how they had been over the years. Though, it wasn't much of a surprise to Kuroo about how Hinata and his boyfriend, Kageyama had joined a national team that was going to the Olympics soon. It made Kuroo happy to hear his friends were doing so well. 

So, have you talked to Kenma lately?- Kuroo

Only a little bit! I've been really busy with practices.- Hinata

Kuroo tilted his head and suddenly got a bit curious. His thumbs tapped the screen swiftly until he finally hit the send button.

Has he talked about me?- Kuroo

A few minutes passed and his phone buzzed as a new message appeared on the screen. 

He has. He seemed really mad at you for awhile.- Hinata

"What?" He whispered to himself. His eyebrows knit tightly. Thoughts raced through his mind but he drew a blank. He had no idea what Kenma would be mad at him for. So he decided to interrogate Hinata further.

Do you know why?- Kuroo

Again. 2 minutes passed.

Not really. Sorry man.- Hinata

Kuroo's from deepened and he sighed.

It's okay.- Kuroo

The response was almost immediate this time.

Hey! Since we haven't seen each other in awhile, do you want to come over? Kageyama, Tanaka, Ennoshita, and Kenma are gonna come over too!- Hinata

His eyes widened and he stared at his screen for a bit. He wanted to say yes. Very badly. Not only because Kenma was going to be there but because he also wanted to see his other friends as well. But his thumbs were hesitant in typing his response. 

'To hell with it. You haven't seen these guys in years.' He thought.

His thumbs moved slowly over the screen as he typed, choosing his words carefully. Not that he really needed to but better safe than sorry.

Yeah sure. Where and what time? I'll have to walk so it might be a bit.- Kuroo

Again, the response was almost immediate, making Kuroo chuckle some. Hinata was probably really excited. He probably hadn't seen anybody in awhile. 

It's okay!!!! We're meeting up at Coach Ukai's shop at 8 then we're walking over to Tanaka's and Ennoshita's apartment!- Hinata

He let the thought sit for a moment. Trying to remember where Ukai's shop was since he had only been there a few times with Karasuno's volleyball team. Luckily, Kuroo had a good memory of good moments in his life. He knew where it was and began replying. 

Okay then! See you at 8!- Kuroo

After that, Kuroo had put his phone down and looked at the windows. No business yet. It was almost 5:00. He bit his upper lip and messed with his piercing a bit before he stood up and began to close up shop. He didn't really have to do much. Just turn out the lights and lock the door. 

If he had actually had business he probably would've stayed longer. But, seeing as he didn't, he figured he might as well go home and take a shower before going to Ukai's shop to meet with Hinata and whoever else he said was coming. He tried not to let his mind linger on Kenma too much. Although he would be coming to their hang out, he knew it wasn't good for him to stress out over him.

Soon enough, he was walking home with his hands shoved in his pockets. He glanced at The Lazy Kitten Cafe as he passed it but nothing more. Little did he know, he was being watched on the other side of the glass.

Kenma was slouching and looking out the window as he caught sight of Kuroo. He tilted his head a bit in curiosity, wondering why Kuroo was leaving so early. He glanced at the clock in the staff room to find it was around 5:00. He sighed and pulled out his phone to text Hinata. 

I might be a little late.- Kenma

It's okay!! We might be there for awhile before we go to Tanaka's place!- Hinata

With that, Kenma closed the texting app and searched through the games he had on his phone. He wanted something to distract him for a bit. Well, at least until he was called back to work. Boredly clicking on one of the apps, he silently began playing one of his games. His shift would be over at 6:00.

__________

After a shower, a bit of a self-given haircut (Which actually looked fairly like his hair when he was in high school), some hair gel, deodorant, and a black tank top that showed off his two tattoos he was ready to go. In fact he was already on his way to Ukai's shop. The walk took around a half an hour so he was pretty happy that he had left work early to come to the small gathering. 

With his hands shoved in his pockets, he hummed as he approached the shop. He saw Tanaka and Ennoshita. It was as if they hadn't changed a bit. Tanaka with a large grin and Ennoshita with a shy smile as their eyes landed on the man with tattoos and piercings. 

"I see your emo phase came a bit late!" Tanaka joked as he bounded up to Kuroo. 

A grin grew on Kuroo's face. Ennoshita scowled at Tanaka. "That's rude Tanaka!" He said, a bit of a light tone to his voice.

Tanaka ignored his boyfriends scolding and slipped his hands into his pockets. "It's been what? Five years?" He asked with an inviting grin.

"Yep. I sure missed your ugly mug." Kuroo joked back. His eyes flickered to Ennoshita. "Where are Hinata and Kageyama?" He asked. 

As if on command, a loud cry of joy was heard and Kuroo felt a weight on his back. He gasped in surprise as his balance shifted. He just barley stopped himself from falling back on whatever had jumped on his back. Though, Kuroo had a pretty good idea what it was. 

The large tattoo artist gave a low chuckle as a loud voice shouted from behind him. 

"Oy dumbass! You can't just jump on people like that!" 

It was the deep and grumpy voice of Kageyama. The weight slowly slipped down his back and whining was heard. 

"But I haven't seen him in forever!"

"That doesn't mean you have you jump on him!"

Kuroo smiled widely as he turned around to see the two. Hinata was slouching with a sigh as Kageyama scowled at him. As he had found out just before arriving, Hinata and Kageyama had started dating after they had gotten out of high school. It's not as if it was unexpected to Kuroo because the two had a very deep connection, even if they did like to bicker back and fourth. He hadf even take up a bet with Lev awhile back, saying that they would eventually get together. Lev however, had disagreed and said that they most likely couldn't stand each other off the court. Lev was not a very good judge of character. He was also not much of a match maker. Kuroo however, was both of these things. 

"It's alright Kageyama. The kid's excited." Kuroo intervened.

The small gingers eyes lit up as he looked at Kuroo. The taller male could practically see the energy radiating off of Hinata. 

Grinning once again, Hinata looked back to Kuroo while Kageyama huffed and let his shoulders relax. 

Hinata clasped his hands together. "Kuroo! I haven't seen you in forever! Thank you for- wait... where's Kenma?" He asked, looking around. After his eyes flickered around the people present, Hinata looked back up to Kuroo with a confused expression. The ginger didn't remember seeing Kenma without Kuroo apart from the time that Hinata had first met Kenma. "Shouldn't he be with you?" He asked.

The smile on Kuroo's face faltered visibly for a moment but it was soon put back up, not as bright as before though. "No. I'll talk to you about it later..." he trailed off. 

A nod of understanding come from Hinata. Kageyama looked up at the slightly taller Kuroo. "It's been a long time Kuroo. You've changed a lot." He said. 

"Yeah, well. People change after awhile." Kuroo said with a sheepish smile. He scratched the back of his head.

Humming, Kageyama wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulder who then buried his face into Kageyama's chest. "That's true." He noted, looking down at Hinata with a blank expression but a loving look flickered in his eyes. 

Kuroo let his hand fall from the back of his head to the front pocket of his jeans. He felt a bit of a thirst for water in his throat and he swallowed a bit to try and get rid of the dryness. He glanced at the shop to his side. "I'm gonna go get some water. I'll be back in a minute." He said with a hum as he turned to his right to walk into the shop.

As he left, the unaware Kenma began to approach. Unknowing of Kuroo's presence, his eyes fell on Hinata's back as the ginger was still snuggled into Kageyama's side. Hianata had told him of Kageyama and him getting together a few years back, but Kenma never would have thought Kageyama would let Hinata snuggle up to him like that. It was a strange but heartwarming sight to him. He looked at the other couple being Tanaka and Ennoshita. Those two were having a rather exciting conversation, well... according to the excited grin on Tanaka's face as his mouth moved. Ennoshita on the other hand was smiling back but with less energy. It was only common knowledge that Ennoshita was still enjoying Tanaka's enthusiasm but found it difficult to be that enthusiastic. 

The small manager slowly approached Hinata and Kageyama. It was Tanaka who noticed him first though, with Hinata and Kageyama facing Ukai's shop and Ennoshita looking at Tanaka most of the time as Tanaka was holding Ennoshita's attention. 

"It looks like the last member of the party has arrived." Tanaka informed out loud with a hum. 

Pulling back from Kageyama and turning to Kenma, Hinata's excited grin returned to his face. "Kenma!!!" He exclaimed excitedly. The excited and short man left Kageyama's side to run up to hug Kenma tightly.

Not expecting the sudden contact, Kenma froze and looked at Hinata. This had happened a lot when he hadn't seen Hinata for awhile. Hinata would arrange something for the two to do and would focus all of his excitement into seeing Kenma again since they didn't get as much free time as they did when they were in high school. It was actually common for Hinata to do this for others he hadn't seen in awhile. Like Nishinoya or Asahi, even Tsukishima on occasion. 

"It's... good to see you Hinata." Kenma said quietly, still tense.

Slowly, loosening his arms and pulling back from Kenma so he could see his face, his grin shone bright as it always had. That grinned hadn't dimmed one bit since high school. "I haven't seen you in like a month!!" Hinata said.

Taking a small step back to expand his personal space, Kenma nodded. "I know."

Kageyama looked towards the store. "Now we're just waiting on one person...." He said.

The head of the former Nekoma setter tilted in confusion. "I thought Tanaka said I was the last one..." 

Hinata looked to Kenma with knitted eyebrows. "Kuroo just went inside to get water. He should be out soon." He informed Kenma.

The mention of Kuroo's name made Kenma visibly tense. He had been trying to get Kuroo off his mind all day but that clearly wasn't working seeing how much he pondered on texting Kuroo. Ennoshita seemed to be the only one who noticed how tense Kenma was.

Ennoshita looked at Tanaka. "I'll be right back." He said, kissing his lovers cheek, he gave a squeeze to Tanaka's hand and walked over to Kenma. Hinata had looked back to Kageyama. 

When Ennoshita walked over to Kenma, he noticed a look of nervousness and perhaps a little bit of guilt in the young mans face. Kenma didn't seem to notice Ennoshita until his soft voice was directed towards Kenma. 

"Hey, Kenma. Are you okay?" He asked. 

Turning to him, Kenma didn't really make eye contact as he nodded his head. "Yeah." He murmured. 

It may not have been obvious to Tanaka, Hinata, and Kageyama, but it was obvious to Ennoshita that something had happened between Kenma and Kuroo. From Kuroo's faltering smile at the mention of Kenma to Kenma's tenseness at the mention of Kuroo being there. Even if he didn't hang out with the two much in his high school years, he knew that Kenma and Kuroo were very close. So the only question in his mind was, what changed?. Ennoshita decided not to pry at the subject, though he really wanted to. 

Soon enough, Kuroo had come out of the shop with a large water bottle in hand. His smile was bright, his eyes closed. "Sorry I took so long. I couldn't find my wallet." He said apologetically. 

The sight was enough to make Kenma stare in awe at Kuroo. Seeing him with his tattoos showing on his strong arms and his bright smile filled Kenma with a warmth in his stomach. Though his expression didn't change as he started at Kuroo, it made Kenma happy to see Kuroo smiling. Unlike when he had visited the tattoo parlor just hours before. Kenma would have stared longer if Hinata's voice didn't ripple through the air.

"It's okay! We're all ready to go now!" The small bundle of sunshine said cheerfully. 

Kuroo opened his eyes, only to have them land on Kenma. The two made eye contact. Kuroo looked away quickly and the smile had fallen from his face for what only looked like a split second. The smile returned once again and in that moment, the buried connection rose to the surface as only Kenma knew one thing. 

That smile.

It was fake.

The thought made Kenma frown. He knew why Kuroo was faking the smile but wanted the explanation from him. 

"All right! Let's go!" Tanaka's loud and excited voice rung through the air. They all began to walk towards Tanaka's and Ennoshita's apartment complex. It wasn't visible from Ukai's shop but it was pretty close. Tanaka, Ennoshita, Hinata, and Kageyama were in front, catching up on the past month. Meanwhile Kenma was right behind them, listening in and Kuroo was in the very back looking at everything but Kenma. 

Kuroo found it kind of funny. How he had longed to talk and hang out with Kenma for years. Now that he had seen him again all he could do was think about him and plaster on a smile while he avoided any and all eye contact with him. Pathetic was what Kuroo had decided to call it. 

While Kuroo wasn't paying attention to any of the people in front of him, Kenma decided that he needed to confront Kuroo about his behavior. Kenma stopped and waited for Kuroo to walk beside him to avoid him before continuing to walk. 

Kenma's eyes lingered on some of Kuroo's tattoos. A spotted kitten on his left upper arm with the word "Kitten" written under it and a volleyball just under the cat. After he stared at the ink on the mans arm for a few moments, he had finally built up just enough courage to confront him. 

The smaller mans small hand wrapped around Kuroo's forearm and stopped once again. 

Kuroo let out a small sound of surprise when he was pulled back a little, since he wasn't paying attention to Kenma. He stopped and looked down his arm to where he saw Kenma's hand gripping the muscle tightly. Kuroo's eyes traveled upwards and saw a frowning Kenma with his eyes directed to the road.

"Kenma?" Kuroo asked, his stomach tightening.

"It's not real." Kenma said, not looking up at Kuroo yet. 

Tilting his head in confusion, Kuroo turned his body towards Kenma. "... What do you mean?" He asked.

The others hadn't turned back to look at them or stopped to wait for them. Being too wrapped up in each others enthusiastic words, they kept moving.

It took a minute for Kenma to answer, trying to find the right words that wouldn't make him sound stupid. "... You're smile... it's not real." His golden eyes finally met Kuroo's black ones. 

At first, Kuroo didn't know how to respond to Kenma's findings. Kenma was right. Kuroo let out a long breath and shook his head. "No. It's not." He said. If he had been wearing the fake smile at the moment it would have dropped, but his lips were still in a strait line. A sudden question overcame the tattooed man as he glanced to the hand on his arm. "You noticed?" He asked.

"I guess I did. Right after you saw me right?" He asked. "That's when you stopped smiling for real." 

"... Yeah..." Kuroo admitted, looking to the ground. "Kenma... I know that you hate me pestering you... you always have.." He trailed off with a glint of fondness in his eyes. The glint suddenly turned to desperation as he looked back into Kenma's eyes and grabbed the hand that was on his shoulder. "But I need answers. You ignored each and every one of my texts for four years and I don't even know why." His voice turned a bit quieter with each word and the grip on Kenma's hand was fairly tight.

In a slight shock, Kenma's lips were parted slightly. His eyebrows were tilted upwards, showing a pained expression. "Kuroo-"

"Oy Kenma! Kuroo! You guys coming or what?" Tanaka's voice sounded out in slight annoyance.

The pair jumped slightly and tensed, looking at Tanaka. If their expressions were any different, Tanaka probably accused them of making out while the others weren't paying attention. But even Tanaka could see the look of sadness in their eyes. 

"We aren't far from my place! Come on!" He urged, knowing he sounded a little pushy. He had volunteered to go find Kenma and Kuroo when the others looked back to find the two weren't behind them. Since Tanaka had known the way well and Ennoshita had already worked so hard to clear his schedule, Tanaka decided he would go while the others went ahead.

Just like that, Kuroo plastered on the fake smile that Kenma absolutely hated and straitened up, taking his hand away from Kenma's. Kenma felt the coolness of the night air on the back of his palm and thought of how empty it felt compared to the warmth of Kuroo's hand and arm. Kenma's hand slowly slipped off of Kuroo's arm and nodded.

The two replied, "Okay." at the same time and looked at each other for a moment before Kuroo began to walk towards Tanaka. Kenma followed behind as Tanaka and Kuroo began talking. 

The young man thought to himself, looking at Kuroo's back as he did so. He thought of how much he hated how fake Kuroo was being. He wished that he would be as open with his emotions as he was before, though he didn't blame Kuroo for it. As he thought more and more, Kenma came to a conclusion that he would have to come clean with Kuroo eventually. 

He would do it.

He would tell Kuroo the sad truth about why he had ignored him over the past years.

Eventually.


	4. The Black Panther and The Lazy Kitten (Part 3: There for me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it is here. Part 3 of The Black Panther and The Lazy Kitten. 
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy!

The apartment- or at least the entry way was pretty clean through the eyes of Kenma and Kuroo. The door to the light blue apartment was closed shut behind Tanaka, Kenma, and Kuroo as their eyes wandered. Tanaka had stuffed his apartment keys in his black jacket and the three walked further inside to a room which Kuroo assumed was probably the kitchen. For an apartment, it had a lot of space. The kitchen had a nice cooking space that seemed easy enough to get around in.

"Nice place..." Kuroo said, taking off his shoes in the entrance and placing them neatly next to the other's shoes. Tanaka and Kenma did the same with their shoes before standing up strait.

"Thanks. It took a lot of hard work to get it." Tanaka replied with a hum. He lead them deeper into the apartment until they came to a large open space which could only be called the living room.

The furniture inside the room consisted of a black couch placed just in front of a flat-screen TV that was hanging on the light blue wall, a white leather recliner just to the right of the couch, and a brown coffee table right in front of both the couch and the recliner. Sitting on the couch were the three that had went ahead of Tanaka, Kenma, and Kuroo. Hinata sat in Kageyama's lap as they both sat on the far right side of the couch. Both Hinata and Kageyama held a Wii controller and it appeared that the two were battling against each other in a game of good old fashioned Mario Cart. The two were moving as they made turns and such while Ennoshita was sitting a watching the rather amusing show in front of him. 

Walking slowly, Tanaka took his place on the couch next to Ennoshita. "Having fun?" He asked his boyfriend, leaning into him.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Kageyama were yelling as they played their game.

"Oy! Did you really just throw a red shell at me, dumbass!?!?!?"

"Only after you pushed me off a cliff Bakageyama!!"

"Get back here!!"

"If I did that I would lose!"

"A fucking banana peel!?!? Really?"

"Fuck yeah! Whatcha gonna do about it, King??"

"YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME THAT!!!"

Kuroo watched Hinata and Kageyama with a tilted head and a confused expression. "Is this always what they do?" He asked out loud to anyone who was listening. 

Nodding, Kenma sighed. "More or less." he responded.

With a shrug, Kuroo walked to the white recliner and sat down, not reclining the chair just yet. He kind of wanted to sit up as oppose to lying back. The chair, however was very comfortable. One would describe it as sitting on a cloud if that statement wasn't so inaccurate. He sighed and allowed himself to relax into the comfort.

It was very difficult however, for Kenma to find a seat. The small man looked around for one but there were only three spots on the couch and Kuroo was sitting in the only other chair in the room. He would have sat on the ground if it weren't an uncomfortable looking hard wood. 

Only Tanaka was aware of Kenma's struggle but he didn't know why Kenma was being so hesitant about sitting in the one other spot Tanaka knew about. "Kenma... Why aren't you sitting down?" He asked curiously.

Kenma looked at him with a blad expression. "There's nowhere else to sit." He answered, sounding a bit like he was stating the obvious. To himself, he was.

"Sure there is. I've seen you sit in your boyfriends lap around a hundred times." Tanaka said, gesturing to Kuroo with a jerk of his thumb.

With those words, Kuroo froze, his cheeks went bright red as his head slowly turned to look at Tanaka. Kenma took a moment to process the words coming from Tanaka's mouth. When the words finally processed, Kenma's expression became flustered and his face went bright red as oppose to pink. Even Hinata and Kageyama stopped playing their game to look at Kuroo and Kenma's expressions. 

The two flustered boys didn't know what to say. To Tanaka's surprise... the two had never actually dated or confessed their feelings. Certainly not after Kuroo had gone to college. 

Tanaka looked around at all the faces in the room. "Um... did I say something?" He asked. 

"I don't have a boyfriend..." Kenma muttered, now looking at his black shoes, his black hair covering his face.

Looking between the two, Tanaka's eyebrows knit together. "Oh... um... sorry." He said. 

Hinata looked between Kuroo and Kenma. He knew that the two hadn't seen each other in awhile but he didn't know why. Well, obviously because of school but he knew that Kuroo would at least make an effort to see Kenma. He was the one person Kenma had told about him liking Kuroo and Hinata had kept his mouth shut for Kenma. Kageyama looked very much confused, seeing as the man was as sharp as a bowling ball when it came to relationships.

Kuroo stood up and smiled some. "You can sit here Kenma." He said, the blush had faded and Kenma looked up to see the fake smile he hated so much.

Now, Kenma being Kenma didn't understand why Kuroo was smiling when he didn't really mean it. In general, Kenma just didn't know why anyone hide their true feelings. If only subtly, even Kenma would show how he really felt about his situation. In his own way of course.

To everyone's surprise, Kuroo began to walk out of the room. As he passed the couch, Hinata turned around in Kageyama's lap to watch him. 

"Where are you going?" Hinata asked curiously.

Unaware to Hinata, Kageyama was blushing furiously at the position they were in while in front of their friends. But Hinata didn't seem to mind as he questioned his friend. Kenma hadn't made a move towards the chair he was offered. He decided he would probably follow Kuroo. After all, Kuroo did need an explanation as much as Kenma did. 

Why not just get it over with quickly?

At the same time however, Kenma just wanted to hide away from Kuroo and just leave it at that. But he knew if he did, it might be worse than when Kenma had just gone into college.

"I think I'm gonna go home... Sorry for leaving so early but I kinda have a new business to run!" He said with the same fake smile. Chances were, Kuroo was only going to sit at home and think things over. 

Ennoshita sighed but smiled sweetly at him. "Well, get home safely." He said, knowing that Kuroo probably wouldn't listen to him if he told him to stay.

However, Tanaka groaned while Hinata frowned deeply. "Are you sure you can't stay awhile longer? You JUST got here!!" Tanaka complained. 

The smile turned apologetic. That one was real. "I'm really sorry. I've just... got some things to take care of at the parlor tomorrow..." Kuroo lied. He had already set everything up. From the building payments to the tattoo machines everything had all been well thought out. He just wanted out of there. Sure, he liked the people, the games, the sounds of Hinata and Kageyama yelling at each other while playing Mario Cart. But he just felt out of place. In a room filled with very successful people, he felt he was one short. 

Ennoshita was still in school to become a teacher. He was almost through it. Outstanding grades, a part time job,and a great boyfriend. Tanaka was a sports coach for a nearby school, teaching basics, building friendships with the student, and getting paid a good amout too. Kenma was working hard as the manager of The Lazy Kitten Cafe and getting paid well for his full-time job. Hinata and Kageyama had a successful relationship and were both on a national volleyball team that no doubt paid well. It seemed to Kuroo as though he hadn't had one of those things. Sure, he went to art school and graduated with good marks and owned his own business.... but there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind that he would never make it successful. He had nothing to fall back on if this blew up in his face. Everyone else however, was secured in there spots. He knew Ennoshita and Tanaka would never fail. That Hinata and Kageyama would always have each other to fall back on and that they had amazing team work on their side. Than Kenma had worked hard to get his job and wouldn't let that go to waste. 

It was safe to say that it was unnerving for Kuroo to be in the same room as all of them at once.

A gaze he didn't want to meet pierced his chest, thought he already knew who it was. It was obviously Kenma. For all he knew, Kenma knew he was lying through his teeth to politely escape that hang out. Or at least what Tanaka had thought was a triple date.

Hinata sighed. "Fine... You'll text me though, right?" He asked.

With a nod, Kuroo hummed. "Yeah! I'll text all of you later." He said. 

Kenma ended his silence with a brave statement on his part. "I think I'll walk with you. After all, we probably don't live that far away from each other." He said.

Kuroo tensed and his eyes widened. He certainly was not expecting that. It encouraged another whine from Tanaka and Hinata. 

"Not you too Kenma!"

"Yeah! C'mon stay a little longer-"

"Hinata get off!"Kageyama butted in, still feeling uncomfortable as Hinata was still sitting facing Kageyama in his lap.

Once the two began to get into another little argument, Ennoshita gave the both of them a sympathetic smile. "You guys should go..." He said.

"Thank you for having me." Kuroo said. Ennoshita gave him an nod before Kuroo slipped out of the living room. As expected, Kenma followed.

Once getting to the entrance way, Kuroo slipped his shoes on quickly and opened the door to let himself out, seeing as how much he didn't want to be there. But something stopped him from closing the door behind him. Kuroo glanced over his shoulder and saw Kenma. The smaller man had just finished putting his shoes back on and stood up. The large yellow eyes met his black ones, making Kuroo look away. The false smile on his face had dropped and he continued walking, not closing the door so Kenma wouldn't have to deal with the pain of closing it.

While walking down the road, Kuroo didn't make it very far before a calm, flat voice interrupted whatever thoughts he was having. "Would you slow down already?" Kenma said in irritation. 

He really wasn't the only one irritated. Kuroo wanted his mind to stop being plagued by Kenma. He wanted peace and quiet. He wanted to let out the tears that he had fought so hard to hold in. He wanted his answers, badly. But he also didn't know what to do. He also wanted to be alone. His mind was in a big jumble of frustration, sadness, joy, anger, and the desire to hug something.

When Kuroo didn't reply, Kenma grabbed his arm tightly. "You said you wanted answers right?" Kenma asked him softly.

That sentence made Kuroo stop, sending Kenma tripping forward to his Kuroo's back. Kenma gripped the fabric of the tank top and looked up at his bed head. He knew that at this point, Kuroo was angry. Very angry.

"Of course I want some fucking answers. Kenma I've known you since I was ten and you ignored me for five years of my life. You threw away all the friendship I worked so hard to build!" He snapped, head snapping to look at Kenma who flinched at the words. He knew all of this already. "And you wouldn't even tell me why! I haven't stopped texting you! Every day I send one and guess what? You fucking guessed it! No reply!" He had raised his voice throughout the anger filled words.

Letting go of Kuroo's shirt in shock, Kenma merely stood behind him with his head down. He was taking all of this. Never having been yelled at by Kuroo before, this shook Kenma to his very core. But a bit further into Kuroo's ranting and yelling on the sidewalk, Kenma had decided that enough was enough. 

The small man clenched his fists, not realizing he had tears streaming down his cheeks. "Shut up!" He shouted. It was loud. Not quite as loud as Kuroo's voice but in anger it added up. "I didn't mean for it to drag on like this!"

Kuroo looked back at Kenma with rage, tears, and sorrow filling his black eyes that were usually so full of passion and life. "You didn't mean it to drag on?! You left me with nothing for five years! I didn't even know if you were okay!" Kuroo cried out. It was lucky for the two that they were near a park and not any houses. Otherwise someone would have complained about all the noise they were making.

Neither Kenma nor Kuroo have really yelled at anyone like this. With all of this raw emotion and anger. Frankly they both hated it. Yelling at people was one thing. But when you're basically screaming at the person you have a quarrel with. Especially when the person you have a quarrel with happens to be your friend and oblivious holder of you heart.

"What about you huh?!"

"What about me, 'Kitten'?!" Kuroo hissed, using that word in more of an insulting tone now more than ever. When Kuroo used it like that, he immediately regretted it. That nickname was supposed to show Kuroo's affection for the former setter. 

"You left! You went to art school! Did you ever think to tell me!? You fucking left your roommate to explain why I couldn't find you anywhere! I missed you, Kuroo! I still fucking miss you! I miss the way you would know what I was feeling! I miss our days in high school! Fucking hell! I even miss you messing around with that annoying ass Bokuto!" He tried desperately to wipe his tears away with his jacket sleeve. His throat hurt from how loud he had shouted. "I miss you.." He whispered hoarsely. 

Kuroo also had tears streaming down his face. He tried desperately to remember how he'd forgotten something so important. The black panther's face softened as he looked down. "I'm sorry Kenma... I'm so so sorry." He croaked. He had regretted every word he had said in the past five minutes.

Kenma didn't reply as he couldn't stop his crying. It was like an emotional dam had completely been crushed, letting the seemingly endless tears flood.

Not sure what else to do, not ever having really seen Kenma cry like this, he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the thin man, pulling Kenma close to his chest. Kenma didn't back away or yell at him or resist his comfort like he expected. Instead, Kenma grabbed onto the front of Kuroo's tank top and cried into his chest. The poor boy was shaking terribly with sobs that couldn't be contained. 

"I'm sorry." Kuroo whispered once more, petting Kenma's hair softly to try and help him calm down. "I'll make it up to you. I promise..." He said. 

Not answering, Kenma grew tired in Kuroo's arms. Not used to all the yelling and crying and anxiety, his legs grew weak. Kuroo noticed Kenma slipping from his arms and tightened his grip around the boys waist to keep him from slipping out of his grip.

Sniffling, Kenma was still conscious. He had stopped sobbing and looked up at Kuroo. His eyes were red and puffy while there were tear stains running down his cheeks. In their minds, they both knew that the blame for their present trouble rested on both of their shoulders. However, it was only natural for each of them to think most of the blame rested on their own shoulders. 

Kuroo wiped the left over tears from Kenma's face, then proceeded to pet Kenma's hair to keep him calm. "Hey, kitten. Where do you live? I'll carry you the rest of the way." he offered softly. Of course, Kuroo felt horrible for making Kenma react as he did with both his past and present mistakes. 

Only able to nod slowly, Kenma agreed. He felt drained from the argument. But that wasn't what he was focused on. Kuroo had been so angry with good reason and now he was helping him. The thought that Kuroo was still so kind to someone he had been so mad at made Kenma get butterflies in his stomach. This was one of the many reasons he had fallen for Kuroo in high school. He was kind, always wanting to help out, even though he could be a jackass sometimes it was just a whole other part of him that would just give Kenma one reason or another to fall for him. 

With a swift movement, Kuroo had taken Kenma into his arms bridal style. Kenma was propped up against one of Kuroo's arms so he had some support. 

Now Kuroo... he was never exactly sure why he was so attracted to Kenma. The only way that Kuroo could explain it was that Kenma was something special. He was amazing. From his social anxiety to just... him. Sure, Kenma was imperfect but so was everyone else. Kuroo just happened to find Kenma's imperfections beautiful. That's what he was seeing a this moment. The most beautiful person he'd ever seen. No matter how many times he looked at Kenma, the feeling he got was always the same. 

He always felt like he had someone that was his. 

Even if Kenma didn't like him, he would always stay by his side. 

No more mistakes.

Not with him.

************

Kuroo opened the door to the apartment slowly and quietly as Kuroo told himself that he would have to tell Kenma to lock the door to his apartment when he goes out to events. The small man in his arms was fast asleep by now. It was a heart warming sight to see. Kenma snoring softly and looking ever so peaceful. It brought a smile to Kuroo's face as he closed the door behind him. Kenma had been helpful enough to tell Kuroo his address just before he had passed out. The stress had been a bit too much for the young man. 

At least it would give Kuroo more than enough time to figure out how to make it up to Kenma.

Since Kuroo's shoes were merely sandals, he slipped them off before stepping onto the carpet. It was rather soft and Kuroo had no doubt in his mind that it had probably been one of the reasons why Kenma had chosen this apartment. The walls were a rather plain color. Most likely because Kenma had been too lazy to paint them anything different. 

Kenma continued to snore soundly as Kuroo looked for the small mans bedroom. Ahead of him was a hallway with a few doors and to his side was a small kitchen with a small space for a table. Kenma wasn't much of a cook, meaning he only really needed plates, a refrigerator, a microwave, and some silverware. To his right side was a small living room with a flat screen TV. There was a large amount of cases stacked on the coffee table which Kuroo could only assume were video games

With a few more looks around the visible parts of the apartment, Kuroo reached over with his right arm to turn on the light. The apartment's hallway lit up and it showed two brown doors. One of which, Kuroo suspected was a bathroom. 

He walked forward a couple steps to the first door. Having to get kind of close to open it because he was still carrying Kenma. He slowly twisted the knob of the door and with his foot, he pressed the door so it would open. 

Inside, Kuroo was able to get a look of the room because of the light flooding in from the hallway. It was a bathroom. Plain and white tiles decorated the bathroom floor and sink. Next to the sink was a toilet and next to that was a shower and bathtub combination. Unlike most everything else, the shower curtain had a nice color of red spots on a black canvas. It reminded Kuroo of his days on the Nekoma volleyball team, bringing a small smile to his face.

The larger male backed out of the bathroom, telling himself that he would close the door after he put Kenma to bed. He looked at the other door just down the hall and turned his body to match his head. 

Without closing the bathroom door, he walked to the last door. Doing the same thing he did with the last door, he looked around, moonlight and the light from the hallway seeped into the room.

The room was probably the largest one in the house, having a desk, a queen sized bed backed into the far corner next to the large window, and a metallic dresser next to the sliding door closet. He stepped further into the bedroom in the direction of the bed and suddenly he stepped on something that wasn't the soft carpet. It was soft, making him furrow his eyebrows. Kenma was never one to just leave clothes on the floor. The small man my have been lazy, but he was at least neat. 

Kuroo shook his head in dismissal and continued forward, telling himself he would put the shirt in the hamper. He set Kenma on the bed carefully, making Kenma stir slightly from his sleep. Kenma's yellow eyes slowly opened to see Kuroo grabbing the covers, intending to put them over top of Kenma. 

In the moonlight, Kuroo's face showed one of concern. It surprised Kenma slightly, not only that Kuroo had taken him to Kenma's house, but that he was seeing the Kuroo he remembered from his childhood.

The one that smiled for real and would always know what Kenma was thinking, even when Kenma didn't know what to think himself. The Kuroo he had met two earlier that day had lost most of his confidence and had buried the anger of five years built up inside of his large body, causing the burial of their connection. 

It seemed Kuroo didn't notice the boy was awake. He put the covers over Kenma, placing the covers just below his neck. Suddenly, Kenma saw Kuroo smile softly with a look of affection in his eyes. 

Kuroo stood up strait to leave, Kenma wanted to tell him to stay with him until he fell asleep again. But he stayed quiet. His throat was already sore and he had a pretty bad headache from events just forty minutes before. Before he knew it, his eyelids were already sliding shut and he was falling back into his slumber.

Doing as he had reminded himself to do, Kuroo walked to the t-shirt that laid crumpled on the ground, crouching down to pick up the soft piece of fabric. When he stood up strait, he quickly noted that this shirt was way too big for Kenma. This sent a series of questions spiraling through his mind. Who's shirt was this? Why did Kenma have it? Did Kenma have a boyfriend? Did Kenma just like sleeping in long shirts when he goes to bed?

When he held it up to the moonlight. He could just barley make out the words on the shirt. 

'Nekoma volleyball team'

Memories came rushing back to him that brought a smile to his face. He remembered that he had given the shirt to Kenma when Kuroo was graduating. He had wanted to give Kenma something to remember him by if they didn't talk all the time. Well, although Kuroo had never expected those five years to happen, he was glad that it had worked.

Instead of putting the shirt in the hamper like he had told himself he would, he folded the shirt over the chair of the desk in Kenma's room. Soon, Kuroo had closed the door behind him as he walked to the bathroom to close the door. After he did, he turned off the hall light, enveloping himself in darkness. The only light was that of the moon shining through the window. 

As he walked past the living room and the kitchen, Kuroo thought of what he could do to make it up to Kenma. Actually, he would continue to have that thought throughout the remainder of the night. From his walk home to the brushing of his teeth, it was one of the only things he thought of.

It was also the last thing he thought of as he went to sleep that night. 

\-----------------

A loud and obnoxious noise emitted from the bedside table of Kenma Kozume's bedroom. Without opening his eyes but emitting a loud groan from his sore throat, Kenma reached over with his right arm to search for the alarm. Soon, his hand hit the off button on the oh-so-annoying alarm clock, causing it to finally shut up. Once Kenma's eyes finally opened, they lingered on the ceiling for a moment before feeling a pounding headache. Another groan came through his throat, making him wince. 

Knowing that he had to go to work, Kenma sat up. He was a bit surprised to see that he was still in his clothes. Not actually remembering how he got home after his argument from Kuroo, he came to the correct assumption that Kuroo had taken him home after he had passed out from anxiety and emotional exhaustion. The sunlight that leaked through the window of his room was more than enough to light up the room. 

He stood up shakily as his head pounded a drum-beat that Kenma really didn't want to listen to. He knew he probably looked terrible and that he would probably be sent home from work immediately, but he wanted to see Kuroo first. He wanted to thank him for taking him home and putting him to bed. But most importantly, he wanted to be able to hang out with Kuroo and mend their relationship as friends.

The small man walked to his sliding door closet and opened it. Reaching up and taking out his white, button up work shirt, he threw the shirt with it's hanger on the bed. Unzipping his jacket and slipping it off his shoulders, he threw the jacket into the hamper. He then slipped off his other shirt, revealing his pale, fair skin and slim figure. He took the work shirt off of the bed and unbuttoned all the buttons before taking it off the hanger and slipping the thin white fabric over his upper half. Quickly buttoning the buttons up once more, he walked to his dresser and quickly grabbed a pair of black pants. After putting them on, he slowly walked out of the room.

His walk was a bit unsteady but steady enough so he could get around. Having forgotten his tie, he walked strait down the hall to walk out the door. He had actually forgotten his entire routine, such as brushing his hair, brushing his teeth, and eating breakfast. It would have been pretty clear to see that Kenma had a lot on his mind and wasn't feeling well. 

Pretty soon, he got to his work. Many of his co-workers stopped to look at him as he walked through the door to The Lazy Kitten Cafe. Kenma ignored them and went to go check in for work. Kenma's boss walked cross the hall towards his office when he caught sight of Kenma. The elderly mans eyes widened. Kenma did indeed look terrible. His eyes were red and puffy from his crying earlier, his hair was a mess, and he still looked exhausted. 

"Kozume?" He asked. 

Kenma, in return looked at him. "Oh... hello." He said, voice sounding a bit worn down. 

"Are you sick? You shouldn't be at work." His boss stated.

Only looking down, it was a clear sign to his boss that Kenma knew he shouldn't be there. So, he did what anyone in their right mind would do in that moment. "Kozume, you look awful. Go home and get some rest." He ordered. 

Slowly, Kenma nodded, "Okay. " He agreed.

"Good. Now run along before you get someone sick."

Kenma did exactly that. He left the Lazy Kitten Cafe but didn't take the route home. Instead he walked just towards The Black Panther where he was sure Kuroo was working. After all, it was his business and he was the only one working there.

Kuroo at the time actually had some vistors in the past hour. Most of them had only asked questions about how long he had been in business and others looked at the illustrations on the walls but none had actually gotten a tattoo. Kuroo wasn't bothered by it one bit but he was bothered by the night before.

The way he had snapped so easily frightened Kuroo and he was still looking for a way to make it up to Kenma. Whether to make it a surprise or take him somewhere was something Kuroo was trying to figure out. 

So, when Kenma came strolling into the parlor on his own accord took Kuroo by surprise. If anything, Kuroo had only expected Kenma to avoid him. 

"Uh, hi- oh my god you look terrible. Do you feel alright?" He asked, standing up from his seat behind the counter. 

Kenma sighted, rubbing his eye. "Um.. no... not really." Kenma answered truthfully. From the headache to the sore throat, he felt awful.

Walking around the counter towards Kenma, Kuroo had a worried expression on his face. "If you feel bad, why are you out of bed? You should be resting up!" Kuroo exclaimed, previous thoughts cast aside.

"I know, I know, you don't have to tell me that." Kenma responded weakly, his eyebrows knit together to make an annoyed expression.

Kuroo became curious. "... So... Why are you out of bed?" he asked, not touching Kenma but certainly close. 

It took a moment for Kenma to answer, shifting uncomfortably, he looked down at the ground. "I... wanted to thank you... for taking me home last night." He confessed, seeming almost embarrassed. He was. He was embarrassed that he had been carried home after passing out from emotional exhaustion. 

Slowly, a smile appeared on Kuroo's face. A real one this time. It caused warmth to pool into Kenma's stomach as his face stayed expressionless. "Look, it's the least I could do for you after... last night.. I'm really sorry." He apologized sincerely. His smile disappeared. 

Kenma shook his head. "No. It's.. okay..."

"No it's not. I want to make it up to you Kenma." Kuroo insisted.

"But you already did." Kenma insisted back.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Kitten. Just tell me how to make it up to you." he ordered. 

It was then that Kenma knew he really wouldn't be able to get out of this. He bit his lip and shoved his hands into his pockets. An idea came to him. "You can... take me to go get some coffee." He said, quietly.

It was silent for a bit, but Kuroo then grinned. "Alright. I'll come by your house tomorrow morning." He said. 

Tomorrow morning. That was Saturday morning. One of the few days that Kenma actually had off. He nodded. "Okay.." He said.

Knowing he had won, Kuroo's grin grew even wider. "Great!" Suddenly, he turned serious. "Kenma, I want you to go home and get some rest. I don't want you to still be sick when we go." He ordered.

With a final nod, Kenma moved to the door. "Okay... I guess I'll see you tomorrow..." He said. 

Kuroo's grin never failed as he waved at Kenma. "Yeah! I'll see you later Kitten." He said.

Kenma flushed at the nickname and looked down as he opened the door and left. His mind swam with thoughts about the next day but were quickly suppressed as the headaches pounded. He quickly thought to himself to grab some pain killers when he got home. 

The other man however, couldn't contain his satisfaction. He could finally make it up to the small man for everything and in return, he got to have coffee with a guy he had realized he still had feelings for.

This should be fun.

**Author's Note:**

> Tis the end of this chapter! Please leave comments on requests, critiques, or just being a nice person and saying a little something! :)


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